fed

May 21, 2015 | By UBS analysts | The March FOMC statement had disposed of patience with regard to the funds rate, clearly preparing for the possibility or even likelihood of raising rates in June. But Q1 growth slowed more than expected, and the FOMC became more cautious in its April statement.

MADRID | April 9, 2015 |By JP Marín Arrese | As the recovery pace of the US economy softens, FED policy makers are growing increasingly reluctant to raise rates too early. The March FOMC minutes released yesterday reveal they could only agree on deleting “patience” when referring to the foreseen tightening of the monetary stance. Members seem split on the timing, with many openly advocating postponing the move until the end of this year or even into 2016.

The Corner| April 9, 2015 |Strong figures from German industry will offer further encouragement to EU policymakers that the economic recovery is now on the right track. German industrial production grew by 0.2%, beating expectations of a 0.1% rise. The increase in industry excluding energy and construction was 0.5% according to latest data from the Bundesbank.

Guest post by Benjamin Cole via Historinhas | What to make of the recent dust-up around Rogoff World, in which the U.S. would pursue a cashless, deflationary federal police state characterized by negative interest rates? Harvard don Ken Rogoff has suggested this is the best macroeconomic option going forward. My take-away? The economics profession is deep into dementia.

SAO PAULO | By Marcus Nunes via Historinhas | If things get worse [for the US economy], that’s the fault of weak growth in Europe and the BRICS, having nothing to do with bad monetary policy by the Fed itself. Keep wearing those rose-tinted glasses and soon everyone will start feeling things couldn’t be better!

SAO PAULO | By Benjamin Cole via Marcus Nunes’s Historinhas | The results are in, and it appears the Fed’s use of QE—faltering, dithering, at times mindlessly circumscribed in advance—was moderately successful in helping the U.S. climb out of recession. Europe is still mired in econo-gloom, courtesy of the ECB’s monetary noose around its neck. Japan may only now be fighting its way out of perma-gloom by way of aggressive QE. The U.S., in contrast, has posted slow growth since the end of the 2008-09 “great recession”.

WASHINGTON | By Pablo Pardo | Do you want a Who’s Who of the Republican talking heads? If so, go to this list. Those are the luminaries that asked the Federal Reserve not to go ahead with the Quantitative Easing in 2010, for fear of inflation and currency debasement. Four year later, inflation is nowhere to be seen, and, according to the IMF, the US dollar has strengthened its role in the monetary system.

MADRID | The Corner |Janet Yellen spoke about patience in judging when to raise rates on Wednesday, which means no hikes for at least two meetings. The change in guidance was played down by the FOMC statement. BNP Paribas analysts thinks the US central bank wants to prepare markets for hikes but at the same time reassure them. They call for the first hike in September.

SAO PAULO | By Marcus Nunes via Historinhas | Fed officials havegreat difficulty in thinking outside the box, ceaselessly repeating themselves. If they stopped to think for a moment they would see what´s very different now from what presented itself ten years ago. And the significant difference is not in the rate of inflation or the rate of unemployment, but in the level trend and growth rate of nominal spending